Cycle lane is behind Brighton and Hove bus delays (From The Argus)

Kate234 wrote:
The Greens waste our money and make poorly judged decisions that cost millions and yet no one seems to resign. These mistakes aren't just made with fictional lottery cash they are made with real money that many people in the town can ill afford to give away.

StyleCop wrote:

Kate234 wrote:
The Greens waste our money and make poorly judged decisions that cost millions and yet no one seems to resign. These mistakes aren't just made with fictional lottery cash they are made with real money that many people in the town can ill afford to give away.

" waste our money and make poorly judged decisions that cost millions and yet no one seems to resign. These mistakes aren't just made with fictional lottery cash they are made with real money that many people in the town can ill afford to give away."

Irrespective of who's in charge the same applies to all parties dependant on your personal perspective/politics

...

At least there's an admission of responsibility here and that something is happening to try and remedy the apparant delay.

StyleCop wrote:

Kate234 wrote:
The Greens waste our money and make poorly judged decisions that cost millions and yet no one seems to resign. These mistakes aren't just made with fictional lottery cash they are made with real money that many people in the town can ill afford to give away.

" waste our money and make poorly judged decisions that cost millions and yet no one seems to resign. These mistakes aren't just made with fictional lottery cash they are made with real money that many people in the town can ill afford to give away."

Irrespective of who's in charge the same applies to all parties dependant on your personal perspective/politics

...

At least there's an admission of responsibility here and that something is happening to try and remedy the apparant delay.

HJarrs wrote:

StyleCop wrote:

Kate234 wrote:
The Greens waste our money and make poorly judged decisions that cost millions and yet no one seems to resign. These mistakes aren't just made with fictional lottery cash they are made with real money that many people in the town can ill afford to give away.

" waste our money and make poorly judged decisions that cost millions and yet no one seems to resign. These mistakes aren't just made with fictional lottery cash they are made with real money that many people in the town can ill afford to give away."

Irrespective of who's in charge the same applies to all parties dependant on your personal perspective/politics


...

At least there's an admission of responsibility here and that something is happening to try and remedy the apparant delay.

Well, Kate234 is car crazy. They would no doubt have supported the last terrible Tory administration trying to spend £1000000 to take a cycle lane out!

Reading the article it seems the delay is caused by a pedestrian crossing, which gives extended crossing time. Nothing to do with the actual cycle lane. I wonder if the Argus could find any pedestrians complaining about being given enough time to cross the road?

How long is the delay?

HJarrs wrote:

StyleCop wrote:

Kate234 wrote:
The Greens waste our money and make poorly judged decisions that cost millions and yet no one seems to resign. These mistakes aren't just made with fictional lottery cash they are made with real money that many people in the town can ill afford to give away.

" waste our money and make poorly judged decisions that cost millions and yet no one seems to resign. These mistakes aren't just made with fictional lottery cash they are made with real money that many people in the town can ill afford to give away."

Irrespective of who's in charge the same applies to all parties dependant on your personal perspective/politics


...

At least there's an admission of responsibility here and that something is happening to try and remedy the apparant delay.

Well, Kate234 is car crazy. They would no doubt have supported the last terrible Tory administration trying to spend £1000000 to take a cycle lane out!

Reading the article it seems the delay is caused by a pedestrian crossing, which gives extended crossing time. Nothing to do with the actual cycle lane. I wonder if the Argus could find any pedestrians complaining about being given enough time to cross the road?

How long is the delay?

hurdygurdy wrote:
What would reduce bus times is if all those who make needless car journeys along Old Shoreham Road left their cars at home and jumped on the bus instead, freeing the roads up for the buses. People who insist on driving their cars along roads like these when there are viable alternatives and then moan when the roads are too busy ought to think twice. We should all do our bit, take responsibility and stop blaming others. Driving through cities should be avoided by all, unless absolutely necessary.

Kate234 wrote:

HJarrs wrote:

StyleCop wrote:

Kate234 wrote:
The Greens waste our money and make poorly judged decisions that cost millions and yet no one seems to resign. These mistakes aren't just made with fictional lottery cash they are made with real money that many people in the town can ill afford to give away.

" waste our money and make poorly judged decisions that cost millions and yet no one seems to resign. These mistakes aren't just made with fictional lottery cash they are made with real money that many people in the town can ill afford to give away."

Irrespective of who's in charge the same applies to all parties dependant on your personal perspective/politics



...

At least there's an admission of responsibility here and that something is happening to try and remedy the apparant delay.

Well, Kate234 is car crazy. They would no doubt have supported the last terrible Tory administration trying to spend £1000000 to take a cycle lane out!

Reading the article it seems the delay is caused by a pedestrian crossing, which gives extended crossing time. Nothing to do with the actual cycle lane. I wonder if the Argus could find any pedestrians complaining about being given enough time to cross the road?

How long is the delay?

Not correct. I am not car crazy. I have a bicycle which I use a lot and I think bike lanes for instance the one on the seafront are a good investment. I do however believe that many people (including myself) not just want but also need a car. Accommodating cars is also vital for jobs and many parts of the city economy (e.g. to maintain business in the shops, hotels, restaurants and conference trade).

Wasting money on anti-car measures that create more traffic issues and very few people wish to use is however a disgrace. Particularly at a time when the Greens seem only too comfortable asking us for more money.

hurdygurdy wrote:
What would reduce bus times is if all those who make needless car journeys along Old Shoreham Road left their cars at home and jumped on the bus instead, freeing the roads up for the buses. People who insist on driving their cars along roads like these when there are viable alternatives and then moan when the roads are too busy ought to think twice. We should all do our bit, take responsibility and stop blaming others. Driving through cities should be avoided by all, unless absolutely necessary.

Fairfax Sakes wrote:
turn the hoses on them, I should say.

Plantpot wrote:
Unfortunately all the new cycle lanes are doing, especially down The Drive and along the OSR, is demonstrating the lack of need, because so few use them. Whilst a lot of this paid for by grants, it's still the taxpayer somewhere funding this lunacy.

wexler53 wrote:
Most of us don't want to cycle as our preferred option. Nor is it practical for many.
Unless you are a real enthusiast, or a fanatic, cycling is not aspirational either.
Building all these expensive white elephants is not going to create demand. Nor is making drivers wait behind buses.
I sometimes choose to cycle when I have time, nowhere else to go, the weather is fine, nothing to carry and the day strretches ahead without any real pressure.
Rarely do I use the bus because I dislike being kept to an unreliable timetable, they are expensive and full of coughing sickly people with bad body odour and flatulence.
At least in my car I can choose the company, don't worry about the weather, listen to my music, have clean air, and most importantly come and go as I please.
No amount of pressure from extremists of any kind is going to change this. And definitely not any member of the Green party.
And I don't think I'm alone.

HJarrs wrote:

Kate234 wrote:

HJarrs wrote:

StyleCop wrote:

Kate234 wrote:
The Greens waste our money and make poorly judged decisions that cost millions and yet no one seems to resign. These mistakes aren't just made with fictional lottery cash they are made with real money that many people in the town can ill afford to give away.

" waste our money and make poorly judged decisions that cost millions and yet no one seems to resign. These mistakes aren't just made with fictional lottery cash they are made with real money that many people in the town can ill afford to give away."

Irrespective of who's in charge the same applies to all parties dependant on your personal perspective/politics




...

At least there's an admission of responsibility here and that something is happening to try and remedy the apparant delay.

Well, Kate234 is car crazy. They would no doubt have supported the last terrible Tory administration trying to spend £1000000 to take a cycle lane out!

Reading the article it seems the delay is caused by a pedestrian crossing, which gives extended crossing time. Nothing to do with the actual cycle lane. I wonder if the Argus could find any pedestrians complaining about being given enough time to cross the road?

How long is the delay?

Not correct. I am not car crazy. I have a bicycle which I use a lot and I think bike lanes for instance the one on the seafront are a good investment. I do however believe that many people (including myself) not just want but also need a car. Accommodating cars is also vital for jobs and many parts of the city economy (e.g. to maintain business in the shops, hotels, restaurants and conference trade).

Wasting money on anti-car measures that create more traffic issues and very few people wish to use is however a disgrace. Particularly at a time when the Greens seem only too comfortable asking us for more money.

Sorry but every post you make is car, car, car. Are you another of these People who cycle that seem not to want others to do the same? What would you do to radically increase the number of people cycling and provide a good alternative to the car?

graham_Seagull wrote:
Bunch of moany old car drivers afraid of change.

Oooh it's the lights..it's the cycle lane...it's the bumpy road...all blame on everyone else but themselves.

GraemeDavis wrote:
Is there evidence to support the idea that the redesigned pedestrian crossings at Upper Drive / Old Shoreham Rd are safer? My impression is that pedestrians will not wait and that because of this the new system is actually less safe.

Is the reality that we have a scheme that is less safe for pedestrians, and much slower for bus users and car
users? Has the cycle lane been signed off as safe? The Grand Avenue / The Drive cycle lane is I believe still not signed off as safe, and is clearly exceptionally hazardous for any cyclist using it.

Maxwell's Ghost wrote:
I'm a cyclist and flying past in the cycle lane along here is dicey with people as dogs wandering into it and skateboarders.
Most commuting cyclists stick to roads to get up speed and don't use shared cycle lanes. They are ok for leisure and family cycling.

Maxwell's Ghost wrote:
I've only used this particular lane at weekends and it had cars parked up on it and two kiddies on scooters and a teenage skateboarder enjoying the smooth surface and a dog walker for some reason.
The seafront lane is ok in the week in winter as no one is around but in holiday season its non commutable and the road is safer. At the Hove end of the cycle lane there are loads of dog walkers and two years ago a dog walker let her dog out on an elastic lead and it bolted across the cycle lane as I was doing about 28mph and I ended up in hospital with a broken collar bone.
The lanes are too risky for me although they are ok for kids and families meandering along. As for road bikers you should take a look at the route between Brighton and Eastbourne and also Brighton and Chichester which I use in addition to the Lewes Road, and most of the road bikers travelling at 30mph plus are on the road and not using the Sustrans lane as its shared and sadly quite dangerous for both cyclists, dog walkers and joggers ....who just don't hear you coming and usually have iPods in.
I cycle a 50 mile round trip most days and while the idea of lanes are good, the design is poor in many places and the real issues, such as the Lewes Road at Elm Grove and illegally parked cars, aren't addressed.
I am sure you will agree that the road surfaces are atrocious and during the snow the lanes weren't even cleared of snow so they aren't taken seriously by local authorities as a commuting route.

Bob_The_Ferret wrote:
It's not just buses which are delayed, its all the traffic. In particular when a bus stops, everything behind it has to stop, now that there is no room to pass a stopped bus.

The reduction of lanes through the junctions has reduced their capacity, and the signal timings with their extra cyclist phase (which seems rather pointless here, since the cyclists are also directed to use the pedestrian crossings) serve only to cause unnecessary congestion where there never was such congestion.

The situation toward the end of last year had got very bad, with completely unacceptable queues of traffic in most directions, sometimes queuing back to Hove Park in the evening peak. There has evidently been some adjustment made to the signal timings which has made some improvement, but the situation is still generally worse than it every used to be.

As other commenters have pointed out, the road markings were never finished properly. At the OSR / Drive junction, there is a strange situation where the centre line just stops and then reappears several feet to the side rather than being joined up. Between The Drive and Upper Drive they were obviously feeling generous with the paint and laid a completely unnecessary hatched area all the way along the centre of the road, which obviously didn't leave enough paint to mark the centre line along to Dyke Road. They are perfectly aware of the defects, but seem to have no inclination to sort them out while the focus their energies in messing up Lewes Road and soon Seven Dials too.

Maxwell's Ghost wrote:
I've only used this particular lane at weekends and it had cars parked up on it and two kiddies on scooters and a teenage skateboarder enjoying the smooth surface and a dog walker for some reason.
The seafront lane is ok in the week in winter as no one is around but in holiday season its non commutable and the road is safer. At the Hove end of the cycle lane there are loads of dog walkers and two years ago a dog walker let her dog out on an elastic lead and it bolted across the cycle lane as I was doing about 28mph and I ended up in hospital with a broken collar bone.
The lanes are too risky for me although they are ok for kids and families meandering along. As for road bikers you should take a look at the route between Brighton and Eastbourne and also Brighton and Chichester which I use in addition to the Lewes Road, and most of the road bikers travelling at 30mph plus are on the road and not using the Sustrans lane as its shared and sadly quite dangerous for both cyclists, dog walkers and joggers ....who just don't hear you coming and usually have iPods in.
I cycle a 50 mile round trip most days and while the idea of lanes are good, the design is poor in many places and the real issues, such as the Lewes Road at Elm Grove and illegally parked cars, aren't addressed.
I am sure you will agree that the road surfaces are atrocious and during the snow the lanes weren't even cleared of snow so they aren't taken seriously by local authorities as a commuting route.

Kate234 wrote:
At a time of unprecedented cuts to public services when the council are saying that they are short of cash I would be interested to see what ROI in this scheme has had. In almost all private sectors organisations in Brighton an expenditure of £750k would need to have been demonstrated to have been cost effectiveness and delivered real measurable improvements/outcome

s otherwise people would be fired. On this criteria I would be interested to see via an independent source how this scheme stacks up.

Measures of success could be defined as:
1) Reduced public transport times and and as a consequence
2) Larger uptake in public transport versus car usage as reduced journey times may result in more people taking buses.
2) Reduced pollution.
3) Majority of users (all types of road users including car users) of Old Shoreham Road deeming the project having improved their quality of life.
4) Large increase in the number of cyclists using this scheme on a daily basis so the cost of this scheme can be calculated per cyclist.

If the majority of people based on these findings do not feel positively about this scheme Ian Davey should resign and all future road improvement schemes put on hold until someone competent is available to run them.

At a time when a number of people are suffering financial hardship in the city this is the least that should be expected as the money spent on this scheme was our money.

Anything less than this is an insult to all council tax payers in Brighton.

Fercri Sakes wrote:

Maxwell's Ghost wrote:
I've only used this particular lane at weekends and it had cars parked up on it and two kiddies on scooters and a teenage skateboarder enjoying the smooth surface and a dog walker for some reason.
The seafront lane is ok in the week in winter as no one is around but in holiday season its non commutable and the road is safer. At the Hove end of the cycle lane there are loads of dog walkers and two years ago a dog walker let her dog out on an elastic lead and it bolted across the cycle lane as I was doing about 28mph and I ended up in hospital with a broken collar bone.
The lanes are too risky for me although they are ok for kids and families meandering along. As for road bikers you should take a look at the route between Brighton and Eastbourne and also Brighton and Chichester which I use in addition to the Lewes Road, and most of the road bikers travelling at 30mph plus are on the road and not using the Sustrans lane as its shared and sadly quite dangerous for both cyclists, dog walkers and joggers ....who just don't hear you coming and usually have iPods in.
I cycle a 50 mile round trip most days and while the idea of lanes are good, the design is poor in many places and the real issues, such as the Lewes Road at Elm Grove and illegally parked cars, aren't addressed.
I am sure you will agree that the road surfaces are atrocious and during the snow the lanes weren't even cleared of snow so they aren't taken seriously by local authorities as a commuting route.

Out of interest, what route do you suggest to cycle past Lewes, west to east? I found the A27 Lewes bypass too dangerous, and wasn't sure if it was actually legal to cycle on that bit of
dual carriageway.

Fercri Sakes wrote:

Kate234 wrote:
At a time of unprecedented cuts to public services when the council are saying that they are short of cash I would be interested to see what ROI in this scheme has had. In almost all private sectors organisations in Brighton an expenditure of £750k would need to have been demonstrated to have been cost effectiveness and delivered real measurable improvements/outcome


s otherwise people would be fired. On this criteria I would be interested to see via an independent source how this scheme stacks up.

Measures of success could be defined as:
1) Reduced public transport times and and as a consequence
2) Larger uptake in public transport versus car usage as reduced journey times may result in more people taking buses.
2) Reduced pollution.
3) Majority of users (all types of road users including car users) of Old Shoreham Road deeming the project having improved their quality of life.
4) Large increase in the number of cyclists using this scheme on a daily basis so the cost of this scheme can be calculated per cyclist.

If the majority of people based on these findings do not feel positively about this scheme Ian Davey should resign and all future road improvement schemes put on hold until someone competent is available to run them.

At a time when a number of people are suffering financial hardship in the city this is the least that should be expected as the money spent on this scheme was our money.

Anything less than this is an insult to all council tax payers in Brighton.

I think we (B&H tax payers) only contributed half the cost. So if you're going to use those criteria make sure you're comparing to £375K.

I'd like to know if Bhasvic or that other school that are connected to the path have improved their cycling facilities and if they could produce stats showing if cycle rates of pupils have improved.

Kate234 wrote:

Fercri Sakes wrote:

Kate234 wrote:
At a time of unprecedented cuts to public services when the council are saying that they are short of cash I would be interested to see what ROI in this scheme has had. In almost all private sectors organisations in Brighton an expenditure of £750k would need to have been demonstrated to have been cost effectiveness and delivered real measurable improvements/outcome



s otherwise people would be fired. On this criteria I would be interested to see via an independent source how this scheme stacks up.

Measures of success could be defined as:
1) Reduced public transport times and and as a consequence
2) Larger uptake in public transport versus car usage as reduced journey times may result in more people taking buses.
2) Reduced pollution.
3) Majority of users (all types of road users including car users) of Old Shoreham Road deeming the project having improved their quality of life.
4) Large increase in the number of cyclists using this scheme on a daily basis so the cost of this scheme can be calculated per cyclist.

If the majority of people based on these findings do not feel positively about this scheme Ian Davey should resign and all future road improvement schemes put on hold until someone competent is available to run them.

At a time when a number of people are suffering financial hardship in the city this is the least that should be expected as the money spent on this scheme was our money.

Anything less than this is an insult to all council tax payers in Brighton.

I think we (B&H tax payers) only contributed half the cost. So if you're going to use those criteria make sure you're comparing to £375K.

I'd like to know if Bhasvic or that other school that are connected to the path have improved their cycling facilities and if they could produce stats showing if cycle rates of pupils have improved.

Yet again you are confusing £375,000 of other money as not our money. Where do you think it comes from - Donald Trump? No - it comes from taxes we pay in one way or the other. £375,000 may have come from council tax the rest came from other taxes in one way or the other and yet again wherever this money came from they should also be held accountable for this expenditure. Also you should factor in the cost of maintaining the bicycle lane as cars are not using it this also has to be borne out in this calculation.

Fercri Sakes wrote:

Kate234 wrote:

Fercri Sakes wrote:

Kate234 wrote:
At a time of unprecedented cuts to public services when the council are saying that they are short of cash I would be interested to see what ROI in this scheme has had. In almost all private sectors organisations in Brighton an expenditure of £750k would need to have been demonstrated to have been cost effectiveness and delivered real measurable improvements/outcome




s otherwise people would be fired. On this criteria I would be interested to see via an independent source how this scheme stacks up.

Measures of success could be defined as:
1) Reduced public transport times and and as a consequence
2) Larger uptake in public transport versus car usage as reduced journey times may result in more people taking buses.
2) Reduced pollution.
3) Majority of users (all types of road users including car users) of Old Shoreham Road deeming the project having improved their quality of life.
4) Large increase in the number of cyclists using this scheme on a daily basis so the cost of this scheme can be calculated per cyclist.

If the majority of people based on these findings do not feel positively about this scheme Ian Davey should resign and all future road improvement schemes put on hold until someone competent is available to run them.

At a time when a number of people are suffering financial hardship in the city this is the least that should be expected as the money spent on this scheme was our money.

Anything less than this is an insult to all council tax payers in Brighton.

I think we (B&H tax payers) only contributed half the cost. So if you're going to use those criteria make sure you're comparing to £375K.

I'd like to know if Bhasvic or that other school that are connected to the path have improved their cycling facilities and if they could produce stats showing if cycle rates of pupils have improved.

Yet again you are confusing £375,000 of other money as not our money. Where do you think it comes from - Donald Trump? No - it comes from taxes we pay in one way or the other. £375,000 may have come from council tax the rest came from other taxes in one way or the other and yet again wherever this money came from they should also be held accountable for this expenditure. Also you should factor in the cost of maintaining the bicycle lane as cars are not using it this also has to be borne out in this calculation.

I'd say it would need less upkeep than the road now that cars aren't using it. They're a bit heavier.

ghost bus driver wrote:

Fercri Sakes wrote:

Maxwell's Ghost wrote:
I've only used this particular lane at weekends and it had cars parked up on it and two kiddies on scooters and a teenage skateboarder enjoying the smooth surface and a dog walker for some reason.
The seafront lane is ok in the week in winter as no one is around but in holiday season its non commutable and the road is safer. At the Hove end of the cycle lane there are loads of dog walkers and two years ago a dog walker let her dog out on an elastic lead and it bolted across the cycle lane as I was doing about 28mph and I ended up in hospital with a broken collar bone.
The lanes are too risky for me although they are ok for kids and families meandering along. As for road bikers you should take a look at the route between Brighton and Eastbourne and also Brighton and Chichester which I use in addition to the Lewes Road, and most of the road bikers travelling at 30mph plus are on the road and not using the Sustrans lane as its shared and sadly quite dangerous for both cyclists, dog walkers and joggers ....who just don't hear you coming and usually have iPods in.
I cycle a 50 mile round trip most days and while the idea of lanes are good, the design is poor in many places and the real issues, such as the Lewes Road at Elm Grove and illegally parked cars, aren't addressed.
I am sure you will agree that the road surfaces are atrocious and during the snow the lanes weren't even cleared of snow so they aren't taken seriously by local authorities as a commuting route.

Out of interest, what route do you suggest to cycle past Lewes, west to east? I found the A27 Lewes bypass too dangerous, and wasn't sure if it was actually legal to cycle on that bit of
dual carriageway.

I saw 2 people doing that today, On the 70mph road despite a perfectly safe cycle path along the pavement (I think its a footpath with permissive cycling on that section if memory serves me right)

Kate234 wrote:

Fercri Sakes wrote:

Kate234 wrote:

Fercri Sakes wrote:

Kate234 wrote:
At a time of unprecedented cuts to public services when the council are saying that they are short of cash I would be interested to see what ROI in this scheme has had. In almost all private sectors organisations in Brighton an expenditure of £750k would need to have been demonstrated to have been cost effectiveness and delivered real measurable improvements/outcome





s otherwise people would be fired. On this criteria I would be interested to see via an independent source how this scheme stacks up.

Measures of success could be defined as:
1) Reduced public transport times and and as a consequence
2) Larger uptake in public transport versus car usage as reduced journey times may result in more people taking buses.
2) Reduced pollution.
3) Majority of users (all types of road users including car users) of Old Shoreham Road deeming the project having improved their quality of life.
4) Large increase in the number of cyclists using this scheme on a daily basis so the cost of this scheme can be calculated per cyclist.

If the majority of people based on these findings do not feel positively about this scheme Ian Davey should resign and all future road improvement schemes put on hold until someone competent is available to run them.

At a time when a number of people are suffering financial hardship in the city this is the least that should be expected as the money spent on this scheme was our money.

Anything less than this is an insult to all council tax payers in Brighton.

I think we (B&H tax payers) only contributed half the cost. So if you're going to use those criteria make sure you're comparing to £375K.

I'd like to know if Bhasvic or that other school that are connected to the path have improved their cycling facilities and if they could produce stats showing if cycle rates of pupils have improved.

Yet again you are confusing £375,000 of other money as not our money. Where do you think it comes from - Donald Trump? No - it comes from taxes we pay in one way or the other. £375,000 may have come from council tax the rest came from other taxes in one way or the other and yet again wherever this money came from they should also be held accountable for this expenditure. Also you should factor in the cost of maintaining the bicycle lane as cars are not using it this also has to be borne out in this calculation.

I'd say it would need less upkeep than the road now that cars aren't using it. They're a bit heavier.

Extremes of weather cause tarmac to crack and yes it may need less maintenance than the road next to it but then this is a heavily used and popular road. Even if the costs are lower they should be factored in as car and bus users are no longer benefiting from this lane - in fact quite the contrary it has made the journeys of those that use cars and buses worst.

graham_Seagull wrote:
Bunch of moany old car drivers afraid of change.

Oooh it's the lights..it's the cycle lane...it's the bumpy road...all blame on everyone else but themselves.

Plantpot wrote:
It would be great to see if the OSR cycle lane has delivered the benefits it "promised".

I would also like to see independent scrutiny of the so-called benefits of the stadium.

Of course, neither will happen.

D5 wrote:

Plantpot wrote:
It would be great to see if the OSR cycle lane has delivered the benefits it "promised".

I would also like to see independent scrutiny of the so-called benefits of the stadium.

Of course, neither will happen.

the cycle lane promised much and has delivered for its users - cyclists.
car drivers will forever be the bride and not the bridesmaid, stuck in there jams in sour pus mode,bemoaning the state of the nation on the argus website.
What you asked has happened. it has delivered.

Maxwell's Ghost wrote:
I've only used this particular lane at weekends and it had cars parked up on it and two kiddies on scooters and a teenage skateboarder enjoying the smooth surface and a dog walker for some reason.
The seafront lane is ok in the week in winter as no one is around but in holiday season its non commutable and the road is safer. At the Hove end of the cycle lane there are loads of dog walkers and two years ago a dog walker let her dog out on an elastic lead and it bolted across the cycle lane as I was doing about 28mph and I ended up in hospital with a broken collar bone.
The lanes are too risky for me although they are ok for kids and families meandering along. As for road bikers you should take a look at the route between Brighton and Eastbourne and also Brighton and Chichester which I use in addition to the Lewes Road, and most of the road bikers travelling at 30mph plus are on the road and not using the Sustrans lane as its shared and sadly quite dangerous for both cyclists, dog walkers and joggers ....who just don't hear you coming and usually have iPods in.
I cycle a 50 mile round trip most days and while the idea of lanes are good, the design is poor in many places and the real issues, such as the Lewes Road at Elm Grove and illegally parked cars, aren't addressed.
I am sure you will agree that the road surfaces are atrocious and during the snow the lanes weren't even cleared of snow so they aren't taken seriously by local authorities as a commuting route.

musesboy wrote:

Maxwell's Ghost wrote:
I've only used this particular lane at weekends and it had cars parked up on it and two kiddies on scooters and a teenage skateboarder enjoying the smooth surface and a dog walker for some reason.
The seafront lane is ok in the week in winter as no one is around but in holiday season its non commutable and the road is safer. At the Hove end of the cycle lane there are loads of dog walkers and two years ago a dog walker let her dog out on an elastic lead and it bolted across the cycle lane as I was doing about 28mph and I ended up in hospital with a broken collar bone.
The lanes are too risky for me although they are ok for kids and families meandering along. As for road bikers you should take a look at the route between Brighton and Eastbourne and also Brighton and Chichester which I use in addition to the Lewes Road, and most of the road bikers travelling at 30mph plus are on the road and not using the Sustrans lane as its shared and sadly quite dangerous for both cyclists, dog walkers and joggers ....who just don't hear you coming and usually have iPods in.
I cycle a 50 mile round trip most days and while the idea of lanes are good, the design is poor in many places and the real issues, such as the Lewes Road at Elm Grove and illegally parked cars, aren't addressed.
I am sure you will agree that the road surfaces are atrocious and during the snow the lanes weren't even cleared of snow so they aren't taken seriously by local authorities as a commuting route.

MG, are you real? 28 mph on the cycle path along the seafront? You're Bradley Wiggins aren't you? Maintain 30 mph on a normal road? You really are Bradley Wiggins aren't you? You cycle 50 miles a day? When on earth do you have time to work and post such stuff on here? Sorry, I don't buy it Mr Ghost. If you really do 28 mph on that seafront path then you are the danger not the pedestrians or the dog walkers.

SUSSEXBOY1 wrote:
I guarantee there are many young fit car drivers on this thread complaining about the dreadful cycle lane inconveniencing them , a fair chunk of these people will be driving less than 3 or 4 miles, ie within a reasonable cycle journey, as for those that travel greater distances from other coastal towns or even from Mid Sussex Towns, they could all use public transport and save themselves the stress, there are trains and buses. Yes this government amongst its many cuts have done its best to reduce local authority spending on transport subsidies, but the trains are still by and large good and often quicker and cheaper than cars.

D5 wrote:

Maxwell's Ghost wrote:
I've only used this particular lane at weekends and it had cars parked up on it and two kiddies on scooters and a teenage skateboarder enjoying the smooth surface and a dog walker for some reason.
The seafront lane is ok in the week in winter as no one is around but in holiday season its non commutable and the road is safer. At the Hove end of the cycle lane there are loads of dog walkers and two years ago a dog walker let her dog out on an elastic lead and it bolted across the cycle lane as I was doing about 28mph and I ended up in hospital with a broken collar bone.
The lanes are too risky for me although they are ok for kids and families meandering along. As for road bikers you should take a look at the route between Brighton and Eastbourne and also Brighton and Chichester which I use in addition to the Lewes Road, and most of the road bikers travelling at 30mph plus are on the road and not using the Sustrans lane as its shared and sadly quite dangerous for both cyclists, dog walkers and joggers ....who just don't hear you coming and usually have iPods in.
I cycle a 50 mile round trip most days and while the idea of lanes are good, the design is poor in many places and the real issues, such as the Lewes Road at Elm Grove and illegally parked cars, aren't addressed.
I am sure you will agree that the road surfaces are atrocious and during the snow the lanes weren't even cleared of snow so they aren't taken seriously by local authorities as a commuting route.

See, thats a more meaty comment.
Again though, i think that the cycle lane is there,is good enough.

Lewes road?
You have complained about every single development on lewes road since i have been posting on here,seemingly a pro car cyclist - which is a dichotomy.
Lewes road will be great for "us" cyclists and also for bus drivers and combined with congestion charging then change could finally be made. Like in London.

As for doing 30mph in a cycle lane on say the seafront - that is the cyclists issue, slow down - i use the seafront every evening, then across the lock and onwards and upwards to steyning - cement works road is brutal - not a cycle lane in sight, but i love cycling.

You are spot on about lewes road - labour club parking - who do we complain to????

D5 wrote:

ghost bus driver wrote:

Fercri Sakes wrote:

Maxwell's Ghost wrote:
I've only used this particular lane at weekends and it had cars parked up on it and two kiddies on scooters and a teenage skateboarder enjoying the smooth surface and a dog walker for some reason.
The seafront lane is ok in the week in winter as no one is around but in holiday season its non commutable and the road is safer. At the Hove end of the cycle lane there are loads of dog walkers and two years ago a dog walker let her dog out on an elastic lead and it bolted across the cycle lane as I was doing about 28mph and I ended up in hospital with a broken collar bone.
The lanes are too risky for me although they are ok for kids and families meandering along. As for road bikers you should take a look at the route between Brighton and Eastbourne and also Brighton and Chichester which I use in addition to the Lewes Road, and most of the road bikers travelling at 30mph plus are on the road and not using the Sustrans lane as its shared and sadly quite dangerous for both cyclists, dog walkers and joggers ....who just don't hear you coming and usually have iPods in.
I cycle a 50 mile round trip most days and while the idea of lanes are good, the design is poor in many places and the real issues, such as the Lewes Road at Elm Grove and illegally parked cars, aren't addressed.
I am sure you will agree that the road surfaces are atrocious and during the snow the lanes weren't even cleared of snow so they aren't taken seriously by local authorities as a commuting route.

Out of interest, what route do you suggest to cycle past Lewes, west to east? I found the A27 Lewes bypass too dangerous, and wasn't sure if it was actually legal to cycle on that bit of
dual carriageway.

I saw 2 people doing that today, On the 70mph road despite a perfectly safe cycle path along the pavement (I think its a footpath with permissive cycling on that section if memory serves me right)

I saw about 100+ cars jumping red lights from my scania whilst driving around Brighton the other day. All day. It is legal to cycle on a dual carriage way. Cyclists get poor press, we are dead if hit by cars, so somebody with brains builds cycle lanes and we still get hassle. It's like suggesting that kessle kerbs built for the disabled -30,000 quid a go, are useless and a waste because not many people use them. But you would not say that would you. we cyclists are a minority -a healthy minority. I have a car and pay car tax yet cycle 25 miles a day because i want to be fit and not give the government any more money. people in cars are the ones causing traffic jams -sort that out and leave us to be healthy whilst you destroy the planet and text your mates whilst in your traffic jam about the traffic jam. twa*s

Fercri Sakes wrote:
@ghost bus driver

I don't think there is a footpath on the Lewes bypass (A27). I've only once cycled on that stretch and had about 10 HGVs give me about a foot of room as they passed me. Never again. Each one had a 1% chance of me being squished.

I can never seem to find a decent alternative route though. Which is probably why I support the cycle lanes being built around Brighton because you don't have to worry so much on being squished by an unobservant car driver.

ghost bus driver wrote:

Fercri Sakes wrote:
@ghost bus driver

I don't think there is a footpath on the Lewes bypass (A27). I've only once cycled on that stretch and had about 10 HGVs give me about a foot of room as they passed me. Never again. Each one had a 1% chance of me being squished.

I can never seem to find a decent alternative route though. Which is probably why I support the cycle lanes being built around Brighton because you don't have to worry so much on being squished by an unobservant car driver.

There is. If you look there are blue signs showing pedestrians and cycles one above the other. The footpath is on the north side only between Falmer and Ashcombe roundabout and is protected by a crash barrier some of the way.

GixerNick wrote:
I don't think I have ever seen a bus going along that part of the Old Shoreham Road - school buses maybe, but not a normal service bus. So how can the buses be held up if they don't use that road??